


The Closet

by Girlblunder



Category: Playboy Club
Genre: Drama, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 12:43:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9897110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Girlblunder/pseuds/Girlblunder
Summary: Picking up roughly where episode 2 left off, Carol-Lynne and Alice go about their business - except it becomes clear to Carol-Lynne that Alice is hiding something.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for "They do exist!" Thursdays, requested through tumblr.
> 
> I just want to say...it's a shame the show was cancelled bc the ladies were A+. I didn't care for Nick at all, though. FORGET HIM.

* * *

It takes Carol-Lynne all of two hours to regret taking Nick back.

Despite what he says - what his new favorite little blond Bunny claims - she sees what’s going on. She’s no fool, and she won’t be _anyone’s_ fool, least of all for someone as slick as Nick Dalton.

The sex isn’t bad, and he’s cute enough, but she hasn’t worked hard to get where she is for nothing. 

Of course, she doesn’t tell Nick anything. She’ll keep things going for show. Nick needs her if he wants to be elected. And Carol-Lynne wants him to be elected. She knows that her power will grow when his does, and Carol-Lynne _very_ much wants more power.

Chicago is on the verge of a big change, and Carol-Lynne intends to help shape it into something truly amazing.

So if that means smiling at Nick and ignoring the way Maureen’s eyes follow him around the club, she can handle it. 

Maureen, poor girl. She doesn’t really know what she’s getting herself into. Carol-Lynne has tried to warn her, but it’s clear the newest Bunny is intent on making her own mistakes. All Carol-Lynne can do is play her part and make sure the club is running smoothly.

She devotes more time to watching the Bunnies and schmoozing the right people when appropriate.

Often the two might overlap a bit as she finds her way to the entrance to watch Bunny Alice check in coats and greet patrons.

Carol-Lynne often wonders what’s brought this demure and somewhat out of place woman to the Playboy Club, but she doesn’t ask. Bunny Alice is good at her job, with her especially soft demeanor excellent for reeling in cautious customers who aren’t sure what to make of the club.

As she watches, Bunny Alice smiles at a middle aged couple with stiff shoulders and uneasy looks on their faces. Alice speaks, and there’s an immediate change.

The couple smiles and has a short exchange with Alice as she accepts their coats. Their postures are relaxed and they look more curious than anything as they proceed into the club interior.

It had been Carol-Lynne’s idea that Bunny Alice check the coats, of course. She smiles, warm satisfaction curling in her stomach. If her hips swing a little more when she walks, she doubts anyone will mind. Least of all herself.

*

Alice smiles at a group of men coming in, accepting their coats placidly even as one leers and another jokes about bunny mating habits.

It’s uncouth, but Alice is used to it. At least she’s safe here, and she makes a lot of money. Her smile relaxes a bit as the men pass.

She’s used to being watched, but lately she’s been feeling a little--

Someone moves at the periphery of her vision, and she straightens when she sees Carol-Lynne.

It’s hard to think of her (kind of?) boss as the Bunny Mother, as Carol-Lynne had so proudly explained.

Alice bites the inside of her cheek when Carol-Lynne turns and she finds herself watching the perfect sway of Carol-Lynne’s hips in the clingy black dress. There’s nothing ‘motherly’ about _that_.

Her cheeks flush and she focuses on working. She’s not here for the scenery. What she and Sean are doing is important, not just for them, but for everyone forced to hide in the closet.

Still, as weeks pass and Carol-Lynne’s promise to keep a close watch on everyone remains true, Alice finds herself becoming far too _aware_ of the weight of Carol-Lynne’s sometimes-grey, sometimes-blue, and always _keen_ gaze.

She worries that she’ll give herself away, as nearly as she must have the first time she’d seen Maureen in her new scarlet costume. Alice’s consolation is that she’s careful not to watch Carol-Lynne when she knows she’s being watched.

When Carol-Lynne calls meetings or pep talks, Alice makes a point not to speak up as much as she has in the past, though she feels that maybe she should be mentioning her husband more as her eyes drift where they really shouldn’t.

Alice would have hoped to be immune to all the beautiful women around herself by now - and maybe she is, to an extent.

“...remember if you have any questions, the manual was printed for a reason. I’ve seen a lot of improvement in everyone over the last month, but we can’t afford to get sloppy now.” Carol-Lynne is smiling, but her eyes are serious as she looks around the assembled Bunnies.

Alice squints in an effort not to look down to observe the gentle swell of Carol-Lynne’s cleavage. It’s getting harder by the day. Sean has even commented on her tense attitude at home, wondering if she’s working too much and trying too hard for the cause. She’s too embarrassed to admit the truth.

“Time to get to work!” Carol-Lynne’s voice cuts through her reverie again.

She lets out a silent sigh, turning anxiously to get to the floor.

“Bunny Alice, find me on your break. We need to have a little chat,” Carol-Lynne says before Alice can escape.

Alice swallows, heart pounding. Has she been found out? She puts a fake smile on her face and glances over her shoulder. “O-okay.”

*

“Is everything alright at home?” Carol-Lynne begins without preamble.

Alice gives her a wide-eyed look, her hands clinging tightly to her knees. “What?”

Carol-Lynne smiles and shuts the door to her office, walking around the chair Alice is sitting on and leaning back against her desk in lieu of sitting behind it. “Are you okay, Alice?” she asks softly.

“I,” Alice’s brow furrows, her mouth forming words but not producing any sounds. “I don’t understand.”

Carol-Lynne rests her weight on her hands for a moment before standing and adjusting the chair next to Alice and sitting - so that she’s closer and she can look Alice in the eye. There’s no need to play power games.

“Alice, you’ve been at the club for quite a while now, and you are, without a doubt, one of the most dependable Bunnies we have. The last few weeks you’ve been...tense. Is there something wrong?” Carol-Lynne leans forward and rests a hand on Alice’s shoulder.

When Alice jumps at the contact, and it’s Carol-Lynne’s turn to frown. “Alice?”

“I, I--oh God, you know, don’t you?” Alice’s bottom lip quivers and her shoulders hunch as she leans back in her chair and away from Carol-Lynne.

Carol-Lynne studies her in silence, not liking the reaction and now more than a little concerned. “Honey, what is it? Is it your husband? His parents? You can talk to me.”

Alice looks like she’s about to cry - cheeks flushed and eyes glistening with tears - but to Carol-Lynne’s great surprise, she calms after a few moments of steady breathing. She stares at Carol-Lynne, a tremulous smile tugging at her lips.

“You don’t know,” Alice whispers. She looks and sounds _relieved_.

For some inexplicable reason, Carol-Lynne’s stomach twists. “We’re not friends,” she begins slowly, “but I would like to think we were something like that. You’ve been here the longest besides me and I--you know I care for you and all of the rest of the girls, don’t you?”

Do the girls honestly believe that it’s _only_ about power for her? While important, she wants it for a reason. It’s time for a change, for ambitious women like herself be allowed to prosper and do precisely as they please - and for women like Alice, who just want to be happy, to do exactly what they need to in order to be so.

“I, no, I know. Of course you do,” Alice soothes with a smile. Her head tilts to the side, and she seems like the same old Alice once again.

Carol-Lynne remains uneasy. Alice has a secret, and she doesn’t want _her_ to know it. She takes in a deep breath and looks Alice in the eye. “Alice, no matter what it is, you _can_ come to me if you ever need to talk.”

“Alright. Thanks for the offer, Carol-Lynne.” Alice bobs her head and sits straighter. “If you don’t mind, my break’s almost over and I’d like to freshen up a bit.”

“Don’t let me keep you,” Carol-Lynne replies with her own smile. It slides off her face as Alice gets up and leaves. She’s really worried now, though she knows she doesn’t have to be. As long as it doesn’t affect Alice’s work at the club, it shouldn’t matter.

But…

She determines to watch Alice even closer. Though many believe Brenda or Maureen to be the best Bunnies, Carol-Lynne knows that Alice is crucial to the club’s success. She shifts restlessly in her seat and stands. Alice is beautiful in her own right, in more ways than Carol-Lynn’s jaded soul will ever allow her to admit out loud.

*

Another month passes under Carol-Lynne’s close scrutiny. Alice becomes accustomed to it; she might even _enjoy_ it now that she knows Carol-Lynne’s concern and attention has a more vague source than she’d realized. She still worries (how can she not), but it’s nothing like before.

A few times she’s even considered just telling Carol-Lynne, of just _coming out_ , but the thought is scary and she isn’t sure she’d ever be brave enough to utter the words aloud to anyone that wasn’t a member of the Mattachine Society.

So, of course, it’s when Alice is out for her first attempt at a date in a long time that something happens and irrevocably changes things.

She and Sharon have just stolen their first kiss in what Alice was certain was a hidden enough spot - when a group across the street catches sight of them.

The men are nearly faceless in the dark, and Alice’s heart pounds. If there’s an altercation, there will be no one to turn to. All the men will have to do is tell the police what they saw.

“Let’s get out of here,” she murmurs in a shaking voice as she tucks her hands into her coat pockets and beckons Sharon to follow.

Alice is glad she’d decided to take a break from killer heels for the night - but Sharon hadn’t thought of the same thing, and the group begins to gain on them.

“What’re you running for,” the man shouts, slurring his words.

They make it two blocks before one of them catches Sharon by the sleeve. Alice tries to help her slip free, but a wild hand grasping for Sharon hits her in the face. Hard.

She tastes blood as she stumbles back, lightly dazed from the hit. The other men will catch up soon.

A car careens past, its headlights blinding the slight man that still has a hold of Sharon.

Sharon shrugs her coat off as Alice pushes the man back, and then they’re running. There’s cursing and a pained groan behind them, but they don’t look back.

Alice’s heart pounds. She recognizes the area, and after a few sharp turns, they make their way to the employee entrance of the Playboy Club.

Mick recognizes her, though she’s certain her hair and makeup are a mess. He frowns and tugs the door open, ushering her and Sharon inside wordlessly.

As he shuts the door behind them and disappears upstairs, it hits Alice what could have happened - and what could still happen now that they’re at her work.

Her heart continues to pound fiercely.

Carol-Lynne descends the steps hurriedly, Mick in tow. Even before she’s reached the ground, her eyes meet Alice’s.

Alice’s heartbeat slows, only to pick up again as Carol-Lynne approaches.

*

Carol-Lynne doesn’t speak as she dabs at Alice’s face. Pearl is helping Alice’s poor friend - whose feet are battered and bloody after running without shoes.

Alice hasn’t said much, and Carol-Lynne thinks she's beginning to understand why. She’s just not sure if she should say anything. If she’s right...well, at least she’ll understand Alice’s reticence.

She sighs.

“This isn’t all blood,” she says as she rubs a thumb at the corner of Alice’s mouth, upset at the mild inflammation but trying to hide it. “I don’t think this other shade of lipstick suits you. Perhaps it’s better left on your friend.”

Alice’s eyes jerk up to her own - Alice looks _terrified_ , eyes wide and chest heaving.

Carol-Lynne gently tilts her head and cups the back of her neck. “Be more careful,” she adds in a soft voice. “I don’t want anything to happen to one of my best Bunnies.”

“You...is it okay?” Alice asks in a whisper almost too low to be heard. 

“I told you, if you ever need to talk, I’m here.” Carol-Lynne gently squeezes the back of Alice’s neck. “No matter what it is.”

Alice’s smile is slow in forming, but her entire expression changes as it grows. The tears in her eyes now are from something else.

Carol-Lynne dabs at her eyes as the first tears fall. “Don’t cr--”

But then Alice’s face is pressed against her shoulder, and Carol-Lynne can only wrap her arms around her. She’s glad the other Bunnies aren’t around to see it. She wouldn’t want them to think she’s giving Alice any special treatment.

She hums an old children’s song, one hand carefully rubbing Alice’s back. It’s not special treatment. She would do this for any of the Bunnies.

“Thank you,” Alice murmurs.

If Carol-Lynne pulls her a little closer, it’s just because she’s afraid Alice will slip from her chair.

*

Things end up not working out with Sharon. The Playboy Club had thrown the other woman for a loop, and then there had been the...other thing.

_“So there’s nothing going on with you and your manager?” Sharon asks with a frown. “You’re sure?”_

_Alice blanches. “She’s not my manager. And she’s not like us. She’s engaged to that guy running for District Attorney.”_

_Sharon stares at her, dark eyes hard and unreadable. “You’re married. And a lesbian.”_

_Now Alice flushes. “That’s different, and you know it.”_

_The look on Sharon’s face says she doesn’t know anything of the sort. Alice’s stomach twists._

Things had unraveled soon after that. Really, Alice doesn’t blame Sharon.

There is nothing going on with Carol-Lynne, but oh how Alice _wishes_ there was.

Since Carol-Lynne had discovered the truth, they’ve grown closer. Alice backs her up on nearly everything and is quick to defend her when the other girls comment on how aggressive Carol-Lynne can be.

Carol-Lynne just knows what she wants, and does what she needs to do to get such things.

Alice has considered this far too many times to be healthy, especially when she’s alone at home and desperately trying not to think of the woman she’d looked up to and more since she’d started at the Playboy Club.

It’s becoming dreadful being around Carol-Lynne. If she didn’t so desperately need to contribute to the Mattachine Society, Alice thinks she would have quit already.

“Oh, Alice, honey. Did you get my dress?” Carol-Lynne asks as she frowns down at something on her desk. There’s papers splayed out all over the space.

Alice swallows and steps further into the office. “Yes, of course.”

Carol-Lynne stops long enough to raise her head to give Alice a smile. “Thanks. I’ve been busy today. I appreciate it.”

“Any time,” Alice says. She means it. As silly and ridiculous as her crush is, she loves being around Carol-Lynne. Carol-Lynne who is all grace, poise, and talent - and with enough ambition to rival Nick Dalton’s.

“Will you wait here a sec? There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.” Carol-Lynne rises from her chair, walking around the desk and reaching for the garment bag.

“Sure.” Alice licks her lips as Carol-Lynne slips away to the adjoining storage space-cum-dressing room, trying to get her hammering heart under control and hoping her cheeks aren’t as pink as they feel.

The door opens sooner than she anticipates, Carol-Lynne’s head poking out of the room.

“Alice, could you come here a moment? Nick or Pearl usually help me zip up.”

There’s a roaring in Alice’s ears. It feels like she’s walking the fine line between heaven and hell as she pushes into the dressing room.

The strapless blue gown is only held in place by Carol-Lynne’s braced arms.

Alice feels like she’s going to faint. She shakes her head and reaches for the zipper. The sound is loud in the small quiet space, and she finds herself blushing again.

“Is that alri--” but she can’t finish the question; when she looks up, she sees Carol-Lynne staring at her in the mirror.

She freezes, hands trembling against the back of the dress. 

It’s clear to her in his moment that Carol-Lynne _knows_.

Alice stumbles backward and blindly reaches for the door, ashamed and embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I’ll just--”

“Alice…” Carol-Lynne reaches for her as she trips over her own heels, squealing as she almost lands face first into the closed door.

Carol-Lynne’s hands are suddenly gripping her hips and keep the hit from coming. Alice turns awkwardly, only to fall backward into the door anyway.

She winces as her head makes contact with the heavy wood, wondering why she’s so clumsy and Carol-Lynne’s so perfect and...and pressed tightly to her, their legs tangled together.

“S-sorry,” Alice stutters. She presses her palms back into the door _hard_. Carol-Lynne is practically wrapped around her. “I’m so clumsy, I…”

Her words trail off when she realizes that Carol-Lynne is staring at her mouth.

Carol-Lynne’s breath is hot against her lips, and Alice doesn’t move as Carol-Lynne’s head dips toward her own.

Her lips tingle when Carol-Lynne stops just shy of making contact. Alice doesn’t like taking undue risks, but...but…

Carol-Lynne’s lips are supple and sweet, and her hands are sure and steady as they frame Alice’s face and pull her closer.

“You...wanted that right?” Carol-Lynne asks in a breathy voice when the kiss ends. Her eyes are soft and vulnerable, and Alice has never seen her so unsure of herself.

Alice swallows. “Yes. Did…?” 

Carol-Lynne bites her lip, her eyes fluttering closed. “Mhm,” she affirms as she leans down again.


End file.
